Blog Post #2: Work Readiness Skills

Work Readiness Skills and Their Influence in my Internship

So far, I have found myself using all of the work readiness skills in one way or another during my time at Artworks Downtown. However, two of the skills that seem to be the most present in my day to day activities and assignments are the skills of Communicating Effectively and Using Professionalism. For the first part of each day, while the other workers take their breaks, I partake in "Gallery Sitting", which involves sitting at the front desk, greeting people that enter the building, answering the phone and relaying any messages, and helping any studio artists or building residents that may require need assistance in one way or another. Communication is obviously a necessity for this, and while it can be overwhelming when I don't know the answer to a question or how to help someone, I believe I have handled many situations with diligence and effectiveness. Since there are so many types of people that work with Artworks Downtown, Professionalism is key. Every day I come in contact with a wide variety of people, with positions ranging from my Employer, other high staff members, volunteers, studio artists, residents, and even more. Due to this, it is important for me to understand how to act and speak appropriately,professional and respectful when necessary, yet still able to connect and interact in a more casual yet still professional manner with customers or residents. Noticing what level of professionalism to maintain is important, especially with all the different people that interact with AWD.
There have certainly been times I have felt held back, especially during the first fews days. The building is similar to a giant maze, which was difficult to navigate at first, and it was confusing as I slowly learned about all the systems that are in place and go into running this organization. While I have since overcome much of these first day troubles, one skills that seems to be more present in the fall backs have been Computer(Technology) Skills. In one case, I had trouble transferring a phone call, which of course resulted in awkwardness and confusion. While not as big of a deal, in one case someone needed help fixing a broken Label Maker, and while none of the workers could figure out the problem, it still was a frustrating period. Finally, there is my current assignment, which has proven to need extremely advanced computer skills. To make a long story short, there is a monitor that only displays certain images, and its my task to find out what the problem is, and hopefully fix the "broken images". While I believe I have made some great strides in the process of fixing the problem, and since it was not only me that had troubles with this but everyone, it still has proven how dire it is to have certain computer skills, as it is never clear when a situation needing them may arise. I've learned to use several new programs, and have found several helpful guides on the internet, but I know without any previous computer knowledge, the task would be infinitely more troubling. All in all, my Internship seems to be challenging myself in many ways, proving that one of my greatest skills may not be great enough, and revealing new strengths I had, that I may not have been as confident in previously and how important they may really be.